I'm unhappy with Netlify because my app needs a real database

If your app needs a real database, Netlify may not be the best primary platform for the whole stack.

A good way to think about it:

• Netlify is great for frontend hosting, serverless functions, and static sites
• It is not itself a database host
• You can still use Netlify with a database, but the database must live elsewhere

Common setups that work well

1. Netlify + external database

   • Frontend on Netlify
   • Database on something like:
     • Supabase (Postgres)
     • Neon (Postgres)
     • PlanetScale (MySQL)
     • MongoDB Atlas
     • Firebase / Firestore
   • API via Netlify Functions or another backend

2. Move to a full-stack platform If you want backend + database in one place, consider:

   • Render
   • Railway
   • Fly.io
   • DigitalOcean App Platform
   • Vercel + external DB
   • AWS / GCP / Azure if you want more control

3. Self-host / container-based

   • If you need direct DB control, custom networking, background jobs, etc.
   • Use Docker on Render/Fly/Fly.io/etc., plus managed Postgres

When Netlify is still fine

Keep Netlify if:

• your app is mostly frontend
• your database is separate anyway
• you just need lightweight APIs or auth

When to leave Netlify

Consider switching if you need:

• persistent server-side state
• long-running backend processes
• direct DB connections from your backend
• queues, cron jobs, background workers
• more traditional app architecture

If you want, I can recommend the best alternative based on:

• your app type
• which database you need
• whether you want SQL or NoSQL
• your budget and expected traffic